As One
by Savvywolf
Summary: Waking up can be disorientating… Waking up as a wolf is worse. Unfortunately, a quick stop on their way home from the wave mission is going to teach this to Team Seven. Team Seven centric. Slow Updates.
1. Caged

**Well… I'm really surprised that I'm posting anything at all, however I finally realized that inspiration doesn't come fast and if I've got something ready I should post it. Anyways despite the fact that I already have three different Naruto based stories sitting on my hard drive right about now, each with probably at least a chapter done I decided that this one will come out first I don't think that things will update fast and I doubt that I will be able to finish this within a year but I don't give up on stories… so unless I die before I have written the last chapter this will be a complete story.**

**So, Things-You-Should-Know. The idea for this story came from ShivaVixen's A Dog's Life, I do in fact have her permission to post this. Also while the idea is similar my ideas for how the story is shaped will be much different. Another thing I'll try to keep pairings to minimum. However there will be hints of SasuSaku and NaruHina But this is not a love story… it is however a Family like story. I love Team Seven and think things could (should) have turned out really well for them. And finally THIS IS AN AU! It will be mostly canon with only slight adjustments to the things we don't really know. However, like I said, I will keep most of the history cannon.**

**Oh and while I'm here I could use a beta. I drabble in a lot of different fandoms but Naruto currently has a large chunk of my attention.**

**(Edit as of 10-10-14  
>So I got a wonderful reviewer who sent a list of all the things wrong with this chapter and I loved it so much that I went through and implemented all those changes along with a few of my own. Anyways I'll be updating the other chapters over the next couple of day's to match to the best of my abilities. That being said:<strong>

**I DEDICATE THIS UPDATED CHAPTER TO readerboy7 BECAUSE THEY ARE MY NEW FAVORITE PERSON.)**

**So yah… Let's get started.**

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><p><em>All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel. …Think about it. There's escaping from the wolves, fighting the wolves, capturing the wolves, taming the wolves. Being thrown to the wolves, or throwing others to the wolves so the wolves will eat them instead of you. Running with the wolf pack. Turning into a wolf. Best of all, turning into the head wolf. No other decent stories exist.<em>

-Margaret Atwood, _The Blind Assassin_ (2000).

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><p>Sakura woke to a world of pain… and a cage.<p>

The pain being the first and most demanding of the two, searing pain that was more then she had ever felt before in her life. A sort of fire that seemed to pull on all the heat from inside of her body to keep itself fueled, leaving her very bones to feel like they were made of ice. But even through the pain she couldn't cry out, she couldn't scream. There was something wrong, she couldn't move, her body wasn't responding. Panic coursed through her, making her thoughts disjointed and broken.

It took a while, but in that time Sakura was finally able to pull her thoughts together. While the pain was still bad, she found that she could think around it. She was good at thinking around things, a skill honed by years of ignoring inner Sakura's outbursts. While Sakura was unable to move she was able to see, and that's when Sakura noticed the cage. It didn't take very long for the fact to register that she was in a cage, not a prison… this thought left her with an angry feeling that for some reason felt much too strong. Anger filled her being and she could only focus on the fact that she was being treated like an animal.

This feeling was followed closely by the need to find out who the idiot was that had put her in a cage; and to beat them within an inch of life. When nothing happened for several minutes, her anger faded and left her feeling confused. Why did it matter if she was in a cage or a prison? Her goal as of now should be to get out, and then to find Team Seven.

The moment her team crossed her mind, she felt an overwhelming sense of panic. Where was Sasuke-kun? Kakashi-sensei? Or even the idiot Naruto? The last thing she remembered was coming home from the Wave mission. Kakashi had wanted to stop in some town that was only slightly out of the way. Sakura had thoroughly agreed with the suggestion. A shower had been pretty high on her priority list at the time, after all Sasuke wouldn't like it if she was dirty. They had gotten two hotel rooms, and went to bed for the night, when… when… When what? Her mind after that was blank. What had happened…?

The panic she felt was starting to get overwhelming, but the part of her that had been the top Kunoichi in her class pushed it down, helping her stay calm. Okay, her first priority was obviously finding out where she was, followed closely by finding out where Sasuke-kun was. Or maybe Kakashi-sensei, if she could find out where her sensei was he would then be able to find Sasuke-kun and Naruto. Once she found them, Team Seven would be able to get out of here. But first, she had to get out of the offending cage.

However, this was harder than it looked. Her body wasn't responding, she felt heavy, tired, and weak, but she couldn't give up. She had to find Sasuke-kun.

Getting frustrated with her failing attempts to move she let out a small whine, and then froze abruptly.

That sound, had that come from her? But that didn't make sense. The whine had sounded like a noise a dog would make. Sakura knew she couldn't have made that sound and yet it had come out of her mouth. The panic that had been pushed back earlier now started to surface. She felt wrong. She felt scared. She didn't know what to do. Thrashing around, trying to move, Sakura cried out in despair. Her head felt too heavy, her legs too light, and altogether she felt much too small.

Almost immediately after her panicked movement had started, there was a sound of someone walking towards her. Bright light hit her, making her thrash harder. She had to get out, why did she feel so trapped in her own body, why couldn't she move right? Her panic was so strong that the words of two people talking only just managed to register in her mind.

"Amazing! How is she moving at all? The fact that she is able to move her limbs before we've completed the sealing process to connect her mind to her new body shows amazing intellect on her part."

"Are you sure it's not just because boss is experimenting with wolves instead of the usual dogs?"

"Of course I'm sure. Weren't you here for the last… Oh right, you were at home sick, weren't you? Well, in any case, Boss did a wolf transformation on the last person we caught. After the first month however, the wolf got so distressed about not having a pack, even when we introduced her to the other dogs, that she stopped eating and died. That's why Boss went to such lengths to get an actual ninja team for this experiment. The bonds they had while human should keep them together, and once the month is over, they should be completely loyal to the Boss."

"But won't the first month be risky? After all leaving them together could be bad, they might try to escape."

"Don't worry, no one's escaped yet, and no one will. Anyways, this one looks like she's about to go into shock, we need to put the connector seal on her. You brought the needle, right?"

"Of course I brought it, after all she's the last of the four to get it and I was holding four injectors."

At that moment Sakura felt a sharp pain in her side. She felt herself whine again, but everything was going dark.

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><p>Sasuke woke up groggy.<p>

He felt like he had just gone through twenty rounds with Naruto, who never did seem to stay hurt for very long, yet he always managed to get at least one of his own hits to make a lasting impression.

He sat up, and shook his head, feeling tired. Looking up he tried to figure out where he was. His last memory had been going to sleep in the hotel, but now he was confused and something felt… off. Obviously Team Seven had been captured while they had been asleep, but where was he now?

That was the moment he noticed the cage. His eyes narrowed as he looked at it. How dare his captors put him in something so demeaning, he was the last Uchiha, he deserved respect. He let out a low growl; his lips pulling back to reveal his sharp teeth. Wait… Sharp teeth? Growling? It was then, that he realized that he was sitting on his haunches and had four legs.

He froze for a long moment. And then the anger hit him. How _dare_ they! Who in their right mind would turn _him_ into a dog? A snarl ripped through his teeth, and he felt the fur on his back rise. Yet… these reactions didn't feel that strange. They must have done something to him.

Forcing his anger down, he let his years of practice at redirecting his anger work their magic. He would get his revenge on whoever had done this to him.

This meant that he had to get his priorities in order. First he had to get out of this cage. He would then have to find Kakashi. Kakashi would be able to figure out how to change him back into a human. Once Sasuke was back to his original state, then Kakashi would also be able to help him find out who had done this to him. Sasuke would then kill the idiot that had to gall to do this to him.

After that of course, he would go back to hunting Itachi.

Standing up on his four legs, he walked over to the front of the cage and examined it. It wouldn't be that hard to unlock, he just needed to get his han- _paw _through, and pull out the latch. However this proved to be harder than expected. First his paw only just barely fit through the bars, and once it was out he couldn't get it to turn the way he wanted to.

Angry, he let out another soft growl. This was _infuriating_. Giving up he tried to pull his paw back into the cage, but it wouldn't come, it was stuck. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. How humiliating. He was going to make sure that the person who had done this died slowly and painfully.

Trying a different method, he managed to get his paw back inside. Shaking it out, he looked back up at the cage door. It didn't look that strong… maybe, with a chakra enhanced shove, it would open up. Reaching for his chakra, he cried out when he realized that there was barely anything there. If he had only this much chakra normally, he would be on the verge of passing out, but now that he was more awake he didn't feel tired, just sore.

Never mind about this being humiliating, this was mortifying.

He was completely defenseless, beyond useless, and unable to do anything. Pacing in the small, much too cramped, cage, he couldn't help but start fantasizing about the demise of whoever had done this.

They would pay.

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><p>Naruto woke up furious.<p>

He didn't know what was going on, but he was limp in someone's arms. Naruto may not have been the most studious person in the academy but even he knew that there was something wrong with the situation. Not to mention someone holding him was a completely foreign feeling and there was an instinctual desire to not let anyone this close. Someone who he couldn't recognize at all by their scent. Someone who could be an enemy trying to kill him. Someone who currently had complete power over him.

If he wanted to get free, he would have to fight his way out.

Immediately on the defensive, he turned around and bit the person who was holding him. Whoever it was cried out, and dropped him.

Naruto landed on all fours, and burst into speed. He didn't think twice about the fact that running on all fours felt more natural than usual. He just knew that he had to get away.

He didn't get far however.

Making a sharp turn around a corner he barreled into someone. This someone quickly grabbed him, and forced something around his head and mouth.

He tried to scream and yell at them, but being unable to open his mouth he had to settle for a fierce growl. He started throwing his head around, trying to pull his head out of the collar they had forced over him. Years of running from the aftermath of his pranks had trained him to get away from whatever was trying to get him first, and then evaluate the situation latter.

However once the people who held him captive started talking he stopped struggling, knowing that if he wanted to get away he had to know what he was up against.

"What happened?" The man who had put the collar on asked in a stern voice.

"I'm not sure." Started the man who Naruto had bitten. "The drugs shouldn't have worn off for another hour."

The collar man nodded "This one must have some sort of Bloodline limit that allows him to get rid of poisons and toxins quickly. That could be useful… Anyways, next time you have to drug him, give him a double dose, that should fix the problem."

The second one nodded. "I'll do that."

The collar man handed the leash to the man he had bitten, before adding. "Oh, and you might want to get that bite looked at."

The second man grunted his agreement, and started pulling on Naruto's collar. "Come on boy, we need to get you to your cage."

Naruto started struggling again, but now his mind was racing. The men had spoken like he wasn't there, and when he had been addressed, it hadn't been in the hated tone he had been expecting. It was the way a person spoke to their pet. Naruto had been defined before as something like an animal, but no one had ever treated him like a pet.

Something was wrong. Coming to that conclusion also caused him to notice the fact that he was covered in fur, and no longer had hands. This realization shocked him so much, that he stopped struggling and froze. This caused the man to jerk on his collar, making Naruto choke for a moment before he got moving again.

He started struggling again, though not nearly as fiercely. As he struggled, Naruto let his mind race. So they had turned him into an animal of some kind. He wasn't concerned about exactly what kind, but he was curious on how they had done it. The last thing he remembered was saying goodnight to Sakura-chan…

That thought made him panic. What about Team Seven? Had they gotten turned into animals too? If so, where were they? Naruto had to save them.

With that his struggling became much stronger now being fuelled by the need to protect his precious people. The man grunted. "Stop that… What is it…? We're just going to put you in a room with your friends now that all of you have the proper seals, and then tomorrow we can start training doesn't that sound like fun."

Naruto stopped struggling. They were going to put him in a room with the rest of the team… Slowly he started walking forward. After all, his first priority was making sure his team was safe.

The man quickly led Naruto to a door, commenting the whole way that he was a good dog, and that struggling never helped, and that things were going to be okay. Naruto rolled his eyes, but kept following him. The first chance he got he was going to bite the man again.

The man opened up the door and led him over to a cage opening it up; he used his foot to push Naruto in. Naruto's cry was muffled due to the collar, and he quickly turned around to try and get back out, but the man was quicker. He swiftly pulled the muzzle off of Naruto, and closed the door locking the cage.

Naruto growled before trying to talk, however instead of words all that came out were barks.

"Hey what's the big idea? You said that my friends would be in here. Where are they? And you didn't say anything about a cage." Even though Naruto knew what he was saying, he could also hear the barking sound that he was making.

The man chuckled. "I'm sorry boy, but we have to keep you in a cage until the month is over. Don't worry. Tomorrow we'll let you and your friends out to start training, but right now you're stuck in here."

Naruto wanted to bite the man's face off. "You jerk! Let me out of here. You can't keep me in here. I'm Naruto Uzumaki and if you think keeping me in a cage is going to stop me, then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought you were."

Naruto kept yelling, but he man just walked away, closing the door behind him, leaving Naruto to the sound of his own barks.

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><p>Kakashi woke up to yelling.<p>

It only took a moment to identify the source of yelling as Naruto. He sighed, and started to get up to tell Naruto off for screaming his head off when all Kakashi wanted to do was sleep.

However his shinobi senses kicked a split second later. Something was very wrong and it only took a moment to identify several different problems. First, being that he was a dog of some sort. The second being that Naruto was barking and Kakashi understood him, meaning that Naruto was probably a dog too. Third, he was stuck in a cage.

Well, this was just great. He quickly got up and shook himself trying to wake up fully. The fact that he was reacting normally to being a dog was sending red flags up in his head, but his first order of business was to get Naruto to stop yelling, and try and assess the situation.

"-I can't believe those guys, turning us into some sort of wolves. A wolf cannot become Hokage. And Sasuke stop giving me that look; you're angry too. I am going to kill whoever did this, I mean look what they did to Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei, they look like they're dead!"

"Naruto," Kakashi cut in, effectively catching the attention of a yellowish tan wolf with large blue eyes. "Calm down."

"Kakashi-sensei, you're alive." Naruto called out, not paying any attention to Kakashi's words at all. Kakashi shook his head at the cluelessness.

"Hn, dobe." Sasuke's words came out as a single low bark.

"Shut up teme." Kakashi wouldn't be surprised if that particular interaction was a habit for those two by this point.

"Both of you be quiet." Kakashi snapped. Satisfied that both the sandy and pure black wolves were paying attention to him he continued. "Now do either of you know what's going on? Sasuke you go first." He added when he saw both of them opening their mouths at the same time.

"Hn, I'm not sure. The last thing I remember was going to sleep in the hotel. The next thing I knew I waking up in a cage as a wolf. A few minutes ago a man came and picked up my cage, and brought me in here. You and Sakura were brought in as well."

At the mention of Sakura's name he looked around and found a cage next to Naruto's with a white wolf inside. She was obviously knocked out, and she was currently facing away from them. She looked incredibly small lying there like that. In fact, all off his genin team looked small. They looked like wolf pups, definitely not full grown wolves. It also looked like they all had a lot of room in their cages. Kakashi, however, felt cramped. Assuming that the cages were the same size that must mean he was in the body of a full grown wolf. It was nice to know, he might not have been able to handle the humiliation if he was as small as the rest of his team.

"Ha," Naruto's short bark brought his attention back to his team. "I know more then you, teme." Sasuke growled, and glared over at Naruto.

"Stop it." Kakashi barked his eyes narrowed. "Naruto it's your turn."

Naruto perked up, and nodded seriously. "I first woke up while I was being carried by someone. I tried to escape, but I was caught quickly." Kakashi was impressed that Naruto managed to ignore the snort from Sasuke. "The guys who caught me started talking about how I wasn't supposed to wake up from drugging, and how next time I had to take drugs they would have to double my dosage." Kakashi's eyes narrowed, but he nodded for Naruto to continue. "They were talking to me like I was a pet of some kind, and they mentioned training of some kind. Oh, and they said we'd have to stay in cages for a month." Kakashi let his anger flare for half a second, before pushing it down. One thing was for certain, he was not staying in a cage for a month. And he sure wasn't going to let his team suffer in cages for a month.

As he was about to open his mouth, a slow whine came from Sakura's cage. "Oh, my head." It was kind of interesting how he could understand what she said, even though it was only a soft whine.

"Sakura," He called out softly, trying to get her to turn around. Slowly she did, letting the males of Team Seven see her face. Her eyes were still bright green though they were also reflective now. Before Kakashi had thought that she had been white, he could now see that her fur had light accents of red, making her fur look almost pink, but not quite.

She let out another whine, but this one was more of a soft grown and she stretched out. "I can move." He bark was amazed and grateful. Of all the things Kakashi had expected her to say, that wasn't one of them.

"Sakura we need to know what our situation is. Do you have any information about what's going on?" Kakashi was about to continue when Naruto butted in.

"Are you okay Sakura-chan? If they hurt you I'll kill them. I'll kill them anyways for turning us into wolves but-"

"Naruto!" Kakashi cut in "She can't answer if you don't stop talking, so be quiet." Kakashi could honestly say he was feeling very frustrated at the moment. It seemed that each of his students had been privy to at least some information, and he needed every bit of knowledge he could get in a situation like this. "Now, Sakura what do you remember."

Sakura sat up and nodded slowly. "I was awake earlier, but at the time I couldn't move my body. I didn't know what was going on, and I panicked. My cries brought two men into the room they were keeping me in. When they came in, they commented on how I shouldn't have been able to move at that point, because some sort of seal hadn't been activated yet." Kakashi stiffened, if this involved seals things could get bad. "They also mentioned something about the first month being risky." Kakashi nodded. This was really bad. If their captors believed that they would stop being a problem after a month it meant that something was bound to happen. Still, at the moment, their biggest priority was getting back to Konoha.

This meant that they had to get out of the cages.

"So what do we do now Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, getting impatient with the silence.

"We get out of here. If we want to change back, we're probably going to have to get back to Konoha, and hope that whatever seals they put on us don't take much to reverse." The three nodded, each feeling the seriousness of the situation. Kakashi was impressed; he had seen their budding teamwork on the mission that they had just completed. However, he had had his suspicions that they would revert back to normal the moment the mission ended, and they had.

Now that teamwork was coming back. Maybe with enough repetition it would stay, after all, who knew how long they would be stuck like this. The situation definitely exceeded a C rank. Heck, it was probably in the S range all things considering. This sort of thing was just his luck, wasn't it?

"Okay Sakura, your cage and Naruto's cage are closest to each other, you're going to have to reach out and unlock his cage."

Nodding, Sakura slipped her slender paw through the cage door, and started tugging on Naruto's latch. They waited, a layer of tension descending, and then there was a click. Kakashi let the air in his lungs come out slowly.

Naruto got out and quickly started working on Sakura's cage, and managed to get it open quickly enough. Sakura, of course, went straight to Sasuke's cage and opened it while Naruto worked on Kakashi's. Kakashi got out quickly, once again noticing how easy it was to work with the wolf body.

"What do we do now, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked his bark low and quiet.

"Now you three are going to do everything I say, this next part is going to be tricky. We're going to have to get outside if we want to even have a chance to leave. We have no idea how big this building is which is going to be a very large problem. We don't know where any exits are and we haven't got a clue which direction to go in. Still this will be our only chance. Once again, you are all going to have to trust me completely. No fighting; no talking. You will all follow behind me and will stay behind me. If we're lucky, we'll make it outside, and be able to get away. If anything happens, go down fighting. Surprise them and run. If we get separated, get outside. Once outside, if we are together, then you will continue to follow my directions, and will not stop moving until I deem it safe. If you manage to get outside by yourself, pick a direction and run. Get as far away from here as you can. Right now there are too many variables in this situation to be sure of anything. Our only chance becoming human again is going to be Konoha. Get there at any cost."

Kakashi knew that he was showing his students a side to him that they hadn't seen yet. The side that had been an ANBU captain for years. But this was dangerous. If his suspicions were correct, if they stayed there for more than a month they would remain there… as wolves. Most likely due to some sort of seal that would force them to obey.

All in all, the situation wasn't one he wanted to deal with at any time. Let alone while he had Team Seven to worry about.

Still, this was the only chance that they would truly have. Team Seven had to understand how serious this was. This was much more dangerous than _anything_ that had happened in wave. This wasn't just about them; they had to report this situation. The thought that there was a seal master out there that had the knowledge and the skill to create a seal that could change the very dimensions of an actual person was frightening. The last person, who might have been able to do something like this was Minato-sensei, and he had been considered the greatest seal master of his time. If someone had managed to do this Konoha might have a rather large problem on their hands.

Snapping out of his revere, Kakashi examined the three genin.

The black wolf that Sasuke had become was sitting very still. His tail twitching just slightly in a way Kakashi immediately recognized as excitement. Kakashi mentally frowned, but he knew that the boy would follow his orders. To Sasuke the situation must seem like a challenge, and his pride would not allow him to picture what would happen should he fail, because he was an Uchiha, and they didn't fail. Kakashi wasn't sure how he was going to get rid of this attitude, but at the moment that mindset was probably a good thing. The only problem was that Sasuke might just take his order to get to Konoha at any cost as permission to abandon his comrades. Still Kakashi would make sure that all four of them got out. The 'if separated orders' were just a precaution, and no such thing would (most likely) happen.

Naruto was grinning, but there was a serious look behind his eyes, Kakashi noted with surprise. He was obviously twitchy and ready to get moving, but he had always been the one who reacted best to strange situations. Kakashi wouldn't have to worry about Naruto keeping up.

Sakura, on the other hand, looked scared out of her mind. She was stiff, the fur on her back was standing straight up and her face was blank. But there was something behind her fear. She was angry. That took him by surprise, however she seemed to be pushing her own anger away, and doing her best to calm down; which was only making her even more tense. She quickly glanced over at Sasuke. She relaxed a little but not much. She would be the one he would have to watch over the most. Being the weakest on the team, she had potential, but she didn't work for it. Until she did, she would be the most vulnerable. Sakura would have to be watched carefully to make sure she didn't fall behind.

They would do this, they could make it… If not Kakashi had a feeling that they were in more trouble than he liked.

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><p><strong>Well, I hope you liked it. I appreciate reviews, but who doesn't? So yes I'm not sure how fast this fiction is going to progress, but like I said I don't plan on abandoning anything I actually post so...<strong>

**Till next time - Savvywolf**


	2. Chased

**So I apologize for making everyone wait this long but due to unfortunate circumstances the screen on my computer broke making it impossible to work with. Therefore we had to get a new computer and all that jazz. Anyways here's the next chapter I have found I have really hard time Editing my work, I can type for hours but I can't edit for long periods of time without going slightly crazy. Therefore I applaud all you beta's out there Editing is an amazing skill that I don't have.**

**Don't own anything.**

**(10-11-14  
>I did edit though and look, there's less mistakes. (I won't claim they're all gone but the difference was noticeable to me) Once again you should thank readerboy7 for motivation and stuff.)<strong>

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><p><em>Many people together won't fear a tiger, and many dogs together won't fear a wolf. - Chinese proverb<em>

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><p>Sakura was scared, angry, and absolutely alone.<p>

She had never felt like this before, the world around her seemed so sharp, and her emotions felt off kilter. In her life, whenever she had been angry, inner Sakura had always been able to absorb the negative emotion and take it out on her own imagination without much real violence… unless it was Naruto. That idiot had always managed to pull out her anger.

Whenever she was scared, there was always that inner voice that helped her reason out her fear. The voice that helped remind her of the reasons why she was devoted to Sasuke, no matter how many times he rejected her. The voice that would make her believe that she could last one more day trying to keep her mother happy. That voice was her back up, her security, and it was gone. She felt so alone.

Everything was wrong.

Even though she was following behind Kakashi, and keeping up, something about moving around on four legs didn't feel right. The feeling actually intensified if she tried concentrating on moving normally. The more she tried, the more she would just feel clumsy and weird.

This wasn't right.

The only thing that was currently of comfort to her was the presence of her team. Kakashi-sensei was a stable source of strength, and Sasuke and Naruto were right behind her. With them around she knew they would be able to keep her safe, well except for maybe Naruto. If anything she was scared to have him in the back. He would get lost, and the idiot would mess things up. Or at least that's what she told herself though she knew that somewhere she was just as glad to have him there as Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei.

But the part of her that usually voiced these half formed thoughts wasn't there.

Padding quietly through the halls, they didn't talk. Whenever they came to an area where the hallway split Kakashi-sensei would pause for half a second, before continuing down whichever direction he had chosen. The hallways were actually fairly clean and the lighting that was on the walls indicated it was a nice building, even though said lights were off at the moment.

Sakura couldn't help but feel jumpy. The silence, while she knew it meant no one knew they had escaped yet, made her extremely nervous.

It was suffocating her.

It didn't take very long, for Sakura start to feel like she was about to snap. Just before Sakura felt she was about to scream Kakashi paused. Freezing she was able to hear what had made them stop.

Breathing.

It seemed like there were hundreds of inhales and exhales coming from the room ahead. A room that had no door, just a small fence that somehow seemed like it was inadequate to hold whatever was breathing on the other side.

Slowly creping forward, Sakura's fear was so strong, she didn't even register that she was moving. In fact a part of her realized that she wasn't acting for herself, she was just reacting to the moments of the people in front and behind her.

Dogs… Dozens of them, all asleep by the light of the moon that shone though a high, propped open window. The sight of the outside world looked so amazing, so perfect even if it was just the moon and a few stars in the sky that Sakura let out the softest sigh of relief. Something about this place, even though it was clean and well kept made it seem like there was no life beyond its walls.

Kakashi-sensei's head swiveled back and Sakura couldn't help but notice the odd coloring of his eyes. (Even though there were hundreds of other things she probably should have been thinking about at the moment) One of his eyes was a soft grey that flashed silver in the light of the moon, and the other was a rusty orange. They were so different but they were so alike. Kakashi himself was very intimidating as a wolf Silver fur that was stretched over lean muscles. If she had been human and had crossed paths with a wolf that looked like that, she would have been terrified. But seeing as she knew it was her sensei and that, while she was sure she didn't look anywhere near as intimidating as he did, she was in the same boat.

Sakura was jostled out of her musings, and back to the fear filled reality, by a gentle push from Kakashi as he pulled them slightly away from the door. She quickly complied, and they quietly moved slightly down the hallway, before gathering together heads low.

"Well I think it's pretty obvious that the window is our best bet to get out of here. Even if we found a door that led outside, it's unlikely that the main door would be unlocked. We're going to have to move about this very quickly, and quietly. Dogs have very acute noses, and our scents, being unfamiliar, will wake them. This means we have to go in, and get out, probably within a minute.

"We should be able to jump the gate into the room easily. I'm the tallest, so I'll stand under the window, so that each of you can use me as a springboard to jump out. By this point, the dogs in the room will probably be waking up. I'm going to jump on the big one that was sleeping under the window, and that should be just enough for me. If not, two of you will have to help pull me up.

"We don't know what the surroundings are like outside, so be prepared for anything. Once outside, the dogs will probably be making a lot of racket, and this will bring people running. We have to evacuate the area as fast as possible. Try to stay close to me at all times, but if we do get split up, head north as fast as you can."

Sakura wasn't sure how she felt about this serious side to Kakashi-sensei. It was like he was a whole different person. While she didn't always appreciate the way he usually acted, it was just that it was normal. The way he was acting right now was not the way he usually did, which meant that it was another thing that was completely backwards in her world right now. But Sasuke-kun didn't look scared, and the idiot Naruto even looked determined. Not to mention that Kakashi-sensei was ready and willing to protect them. With sensei and Sasuke-kun with her everything would be alright… right?

* * *

><p>Sasuke could feel the adrenaline in his veins.<p>

Even if he had been insulted by being forced into the form of a wolf he was still an Uchiha. After this, they would get back to Konoha and someone would be able to turn him back. Sasuke repeated this mantra several times in his head before he believed it.

A part of him, the part that would forever remain living _that_ day over and over again, whispered that nothing ever goes perfectly right, and that this situation would be no different. Something was going to happen and he would lose someone again. Sasuke had to repeat to himself the fact that his heart sped up at the thought, and there was a pain in his chest, was just him realizing it would be a pain to have to get a new team after this.

A smaller, much quieter part of himself scoffed and started making plans to make sure that his team survived.

However that was all in the back of his mind. At the moment all he could really concentrate on was the mission at hand. Getting to Konoha and making sure that the Uchiha line survived.

Kakashi stood up, causing Sasuke's attention to get back to the task at hand. Four sets of quietly padding taps across the hallway was all that could be heard. In the back of his mind one part was whispering that he was going to lose them all. While another part promised to die before they did. He ignored both, after all neither voice mattered, they didn't exist, all that mattered was surviving so that he could eventually kill his brother.

"Now." And with Kakashi's soft order, they were off.

The large silver wolf jumped over the gate with ease, quickly followed by Sakura Even though she made it easily Sasuke could tell she wasn't all there. He'd have to keep a close eye on her. That thought was quiet and he ignored it, as he jumped over the fence Naruto on his heels.

They dashed across the room. There were so many dogs, of all different shapes, sizes, and breeds, that Sasuke was surprised that they all could live together in one room. The dogs were all tied to the walls by thin red stings that didn't actually look like they could hold anything. It made Sasuke wonder if they were actually supposed to hold the dogs back or if they were just there for show.

The room felt like it was longer than it had looked from the outside. There were probably close to a hundred canines just in this one room, all sleeping. It was almost creepy. The only thing that made the silent dash across the room bearable compared the flashbacks that were playing quietly in the back of his mind, was the fact that his frantic footsteps weren't alone. Not to mention the hundreds of breaths, which almost made it seem like the room itself was alive.

Kakashi was pulling ahead of the rest of them, his legs being much longer. When Kakashi was about five feet from the last and largest dog in the room, the one that just happened to be right under the window, he stopped and stood tall with his head high facing the window.

To Sakura's credit, she didn't stop as she jumped on his back, and used his head as a spring board, making the man grunt slightly before he raised his head again. Sakura barely made it. She quickly scrambled onto the ledge and scooted as far over as possible making room for the others.

Sasuke was aware of so many little details, that all around them dogs were stirring, that Naruto was right at his heals forcing him to lengthen his stride, and that Sakura's eyes were glazed, as if she were on auto drive, barely even registering what was going on around her. But he didn't have time to think. He quickly bounded onto Kakashi's back and jumped. He had put more force into his jump than Sakura and so a quick yank from Sakura was the only thing that stopped him from falling out the window. This wouldn't have been that bad, Sasuke noted, due to the fact that the ground underneath the window wasn't that far off.

Sasuke was about to look around some more, when suddenly there a flash of tan as Naruto, being the idiot he was, jumped much too hard, hit the window, and fell out onto the ground below. The idiot was lucky that the ground had been nearby, if not he might have broken something, as it was the boy turned wolf seemed stunned. Sasuke was about to jump down when he heard it.

"New… New smells… trying to leave… Bad… don't leave… those aren't dogs… Wolves… Where's master… No collars… Bad scent: Fox… Wrong… Where's master…" Dozens of voices, as the dogs started to wake up. Growling, they're voices almost seemed like one voice that got louder as more dogs made their way to wakefulness. And then there was a deep yelp as Kakashi ran up onto the largest dog and jumped. Kakashi was a lot heavier than any of the younger members of Team Seven, but he also had a lot more muscle mass than any of them, and therefore was able to push himself higher.

Sasuke was not prepared for the force that barreled into him as he, Sakura, and Kakashi fell to the ground. Luckily Naruto, for once, had the sense to move out of the way. As soon as they hit the ground, Naruto was there, pulling Sakura out from under Kakashi's leg, and getting her to stand on her own. Kakashi quickly got up as well, and Sasuke pulled himself to his feet.

It seemed like there were hundreds of barks behind them all calling out, warnings and anger. And then the building lit up. Alarms started screeching, and there were human shouts mixed in with the tumultuous barking. Every one of Sasuke's instincts told him to run, get away, and find a safe place. That's when he noticed it, the large chain link fence that surrounded the building.

In the back of his mind the voice of his brother laughed and told him that it was never that easy. They were going to get caught and be forced to stay there forever or he was going to die. The quieter part of his mind argued that Kakashi was smart and that they would be able to make it out somehow, and that he wasn't going to die because Team Seven wouldn't allow it. But that voice was drowned out. It didn't matter, he wouldn't make it, and Itachi would roam free. He had failed.

* * *

><p>Naruto growled low in his throat when he saw the fence.<p>

If he had been human it would have been a simple matter of jumping the fence and escaping. But as wolves it was like an impassable mountain. Anger coursed though him. He wasn't done yet, they couldn't keep him here, and they couldn't keep his team here. If it had just been him, he could deal with the imprisonment, but when it came to his newly dubbed precious people, he would do _anything_ to make sure that they got free.

Kakashi-sensei started moving forward, but Sasuke and Sakura seemed frozen. Naruto growled and pushed Sakura lightly. It seemed like all semblance of thought had left the girl, she didn't even seem to be there, but as Naruto pushed her she started to follow sensei. Naruto knew that they only had a limited amount of time. Therefore knew that he couldn't yell at the teme for freezing up, but he had to get Sasuke to move somehow.

Grabbing the frozen boy by the scruff, Naruto started to drag him, going as fast as he could seeing as Kakashi was speeding up. The black wolf, that Naruto still couldn't quiet reconcile as his teammate, started to move on his own. Sasuke jerked away from Naruto, putting on a burst of speed with only a glare in Naruto's direction as thanks. Naruto figured as much would happen, and at the moment he really didn't care. He had to hurry and that was all that mattered making sure everyone got out safely.

Kakashi was already running along the fence, searching for a way through, when Naruto caught up. Sakura was following right in Kakashi-sensei's footsteps with a blank expression on her face. Naruto had no doubt that if the girl had been human at that moment, she would have had silent tears flowing down her face. Sasuke looked twitchy, and his eyes were cold. He looked like he was only going through the motions, he had given up.

Naruto wanted to scream at them. They couldn't give up. They were ninja of Konoha and Konoha-nin did NOT GIVE UP! Yet they were running along the fence, and Kakashi-sensei wasn't giving up and they were going to make it. Yelling could wait.

They quickly came to where Naruto supposed the main entrance was. There were bushes lining the path towards the building, and a gate that looked like the only way out. But it was locked. Naruto could practically see the wheels turning in Kakashi's head. Kakashi-sensei quickly turned around and started talking.

"This looks like our best bet out. There are now two outcomes, someone will open this gate and we'll run, over power them, and get out… or they let out the dogs, we'll be surrounded, and then captured. If the gates open, follow me, and don't stop running. If we don't make it, then we'll have to try again later, but it's doubtful that we'll make it this far a second time.

"Now see the two bushes closest to the gate. Sakura and I are going to hide on the right so I'll be able to attack whoever opens it first. Sasuke and Naruto, you two will follow close behind. Now hide, and make sure someone opening the gate won't be able to see you."

Naruto nodded, and saw Sasuke do the same out of the corner of his eye, but Sakura didn't move she just stood there frozen, looking lost. Naruto knew why Kakashi-sensei had Sakura closest to him, if he didn't lead her then she would get lost. It was kind of sad to see the girl that he had a crush on, the girl he knew had a strong temper and stronger fists, look so dead. But she had never done anything like this before, while Naruto knew the feeling of being chased after all to well. It was never quiet as terrifying as this, but he had run from ANBU before and knew that instinctual panic of realizing you were being hunted well. But this time instead of being alone, he had people with him, and that meant that he would be able to move forward.

Naruto slowly crept into the bush, Sasuke right in front of him. They shifted around a bit, and Naruto let out a quiet yelp when Sasuke stepped on his tail. But after a few curses and some shuffling, they were well hidden, and would be able to jump out at a moment's notice.

The lights and barking from the main house were starting to get on Naruto's nerves, the barking was basically dozens of dogs screaming that something was going on. The fact that Naruto could understand what they were saying was not lost on him. However, it made sense, if they had been turned into wolves, then why shouldn't they be able to understand what the dogs were saying.

Breaking out of his thoughts Naruto perked up, footsteps, coming from the other side of the gate. Thanking every Kami Naruto could think of, he tensed up feeling Sasuke do the same next to him, as a man came into view. He fumbled with a set of keys for a moment, and then swung the gate open. Kakashi was out looking like a flash of silver with a smaller trail of white following.

The man cried out, but only for a moment before his head hit the ground with a sickening crack, knocking him out cold. Sasuke burst out just a split second before Naruto, and they were off.

The trees were sparse at first, but it didn't take very long for the forest to get thicker. It was harder to run through the undergrowth, but Kakashi was leading fairly well. At that moment a howl burst though the air. Deep and dangerous the howl, Naruto knew, was the beginning of the hunt.

Kakashi picked up speed, and suddenly Naruto really hoped that sensei knew where they were going, because if he didn't they would be in big trouble. The next five minutes were strained, even though there was adrenaline pumping though his veins. He still wasn't quiet used to running on four legs, and he was sure it was worse for Sasuke and Sakura.

Still, they couldn't stop, stopping meant getting captured and that couldn't happen. Kakashi-sensei seemed to be moving even faster, and even through the exhaustion that was starting to run through his already tired limbs, Naruto felt that there could be hope. Kakashi at least seemed to have a destination in mind.

And suddenly the trees stopped, they were at a creek. Kakashi didn't even pause; he got right in along the edge, and started straight downstream. Sakura only paused for a moment; her almost robotic moments seemed to relax fractionally. Sasuke didn't pause, and that was when Naruto suddenly knew they had a chance. The river would wash away their scent, and as long as they traveled in it, they would make it. Relief coursed though him, they were going to make it.

* * *

><p>Kakashi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as the stream came into view.<p>

This changed everything, while it was still possible that they could be captured, the water greatly increased their chances for escape. Earlier, when Kakashi had been able to recognize where they were, he had been relived. They were only a day's travel, civilian style, away from Konoha. While it was very worrying that there was someone who could turn ninjas into wolves that close to home, it was blessing that they were so close.

When Kakashi had first thought of the stream, he had at first thought that they would follow it upstream all the way to Konoha. However, to do that they would have to fight against the current and whoever had captured them would expect them to head to Konoha. Heading away from Konoha would be their best bet. Yes they would have to make their way back, but this way they might be able to get there with less confrontation.

There was also the fact that Kakashi knew of a nice cave only a three miles downstream, that would serve as a very good hiding place for awhile. Hearing the howl of the hunt only just behind them Kakashi sped up, hearing the splashing of his students doing the same.

They had been extremely lucky. There were so many different things that could have gone wrong in a capture situation. The fact that nothing had gone wrong almost made him nervous. Still there didn't seem to be anything amiss, and the people searching for them obviously hadn't expected for them to be able to get away.

Traveling by the light of the only just waning moon felt different than usual. Kakashi supposed it had to do with the fact that he was seeing out of wolf eyes, instead of his own. The night seemed more alive, the stars felt brighter, and the water almost had a silver gleam to its edges. The trees on either side were both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it meant that no one could see them from far away. A curse because he wouldn't be able to see anyone coming. While the night did seem more alive, his new sense of perception wouldn't help them if they were caught.

Hearing the panting behind him, Kakashi cursed quietly, and slowed down just little. It appeared that much of their physical differences transferred over. Kakashi couldn't help but feel disgruntled however, even though he knew logically that, as a wolf, he was older and by extent much stronger then the three Genin. He knew that by traveling in the water, even if they were heading downstream, meant that they would be going slower then someone on land. They had to keep up a good pace.

The only reason he wasn't pushing them harder was because the people chasing them would most likely head in the opposite direction. But it would only take one person with the sense to search every direction to get them caught.

Kakashi lead the way in silence for several minutes the panting and splashing of his students the only proof that they were still behind him. Finally Naruto cracked.

"Kakashi-sensei," He called out, between pants for breath "Where are we going?"

"We're heading towards a cave about a mile downstream from where we are now. We should be safe there for a while at least." Getting a grunt in response Kakashi focused back ahead. Even at their pace, it took about ten minutes to finally get the cave.

This particular spot was a little known, or used, ANBU resting area. It wasn't used very often because it was only a couple hours from Konoha (ninja travel rate). Kakashi had only used the cave once, and that was because he had been exhausted and wounded. Still it was exactly what they needed considering their situation.

The cave was rather well hidden; there was a small cliff that lasted for about half a mile along the western side of the river. Along most of this cliff, was a vining plant that had flowers that bloomed almost year round. These vines were what hid the cave. About halfway from the start of the cliff was a hole, that with time and erosion had made a good sized cave. It was hidden right on the river and the flowers on the vines would help mask their scents from dogs. For the situation it was perfect.

Kakashi let out a breath of relief as he finally spotted the area along the flowered wall that the cave rested at. Slowing down he could almost feel his students' relief. He quickly found the opening, and ushered his soaking students inside. The first part of the cave was a small pool where the water flowed in and out because of the stream outside. Farther in it was dry and fairly spacious.

Leading his students along the edge of the pool to the other side Kakashi could only feel grateful that they had made it. Once on dry land Sakura collapsed, shivering on the floor. Sasuke was shaking just as much as Sakura was, and it looked like only his pride was keeping him on his feet. Naruto was shaking quite a bit, but he seemed to have more strength then the other two.

Now that they were safe, Kakashi couldn't help but feel overwhelming pride towards his students. They had followed his orders, and hadn't complained. They had faced the situation seriously, had followed him until they were ready to drop, and then continued even beyond that. Because of their much smaller size, they had gotten much wetter then Kakashi, and had to work much harder to keep up with his longer legs, and yet still they had made it. Not without consequences however. It was very dark in the cave but Kakashi could still make out the shivering forms of his students, who seemed too tired to even ask what happened next. Well, he had to make sure they didn't die of hypothermia first.

"You're going to have to shake off. Yes it's a very canine like behavior, but it will get you dry quickly. After that try licking the water out of your fur. I don't care if it's disgusting, it will keep you dry. None of you are allowed to go to sleep until I say you are dry enough."

Kakashi himself started shaking the water out, finding once again that an action that should have been very foreign to him was rather easy. As soon as they got back the Hokage would have to send out a high level ANBU squad, to apprehend whoever was behind this. This person had knowingly attacked a Konoha team and was obviously too dangerous to leave alone.

Taking his own advice, he started licking out the water. It didn't taste very good, but it was necessary. Naruto had followed his instructions immediately, and was already shaking much less. Sasuke had shot him a dirty look, but it seemed more out of habit then actual complaint and he had followed quickly. He still seemed to be trying to find a way to lick himself with dignity. It was rather amusing.

Sakura still hadn't gotten up.

Kakashi stopped drying himself, and made his way over to the girl. If she was going into shock he would have to be careful. Nudging her with his front leg he waited to see what she would do. Luckily she seemed to snap out of whatever was wrong, and in stiff jerky movements she slowly got to her feet and shook herself, spraying Kakashi a little, but he didn't care. As soon as she stopped shaking, she fell back down and started licking her shoulder, obviously too tired to even sit.

Looking over his students, he could help but think that they looked like something the cat, or more appropriately, the dog dragged in. Silence filled the cave for several minutes as his students slowly dried themselves to a satisfactory state.

Naruto finished first, and with a nod from Kakashi, curled up right where he was, and fell asleep. Even if he had fared the best out of the three, he was still very drained. Kakashi could feel the tiredness in his own limbs that he had been ignoring for the last while increase as he saw Naruto slumbering. Sasuke finished soon after, walked a few feet away, before he too curled up, and drifted off.

Sakura sat there for a long time, and Kakashi was sure that if the girl had been human, she would have been sobbing. Her shivering had stopped, but she was still shaking. Seeing that she wasn't about to stop anytime soon. Kakashi couldn't help but feel bad. She honestly didn't know how to deal with the situation and at the moment was just doing what she was told.

Remembering how he had felt right after his first near death experiance. Kakashi couldn't help but see the comparisons to his shocked state. Sakura's, obviously, wasn't nearly as sever, but she was acting like she had lost something. It was actually quiet worrying.

Seeing that she was dry enough, Kakashi feeling exhausted himself, stood up, and padded over to the girl, who didn't even seem to notice his approach. He lay down in front of her, and looked into her eyes, trying to convey that everything was going to be okay, and that she needed to calm down without actually saying anything. She stopped licking and almost seemed to faint in her exhausted state.

Kakashi let a low chuckle leave his throat as he stood up again, and padded behind her so he sat in the middle of his three sleeping students. Before laying down, and slowly falling asleep to the sound of the creek outside.

* * *

><p><strong>You know I'm actually pretty happy with this chapter. I think it turned out pretty good. Anyways I would love to hear any of your thoughts. And I think that's it. Oh and for anyone who cares I should be updating at least slightly more often.<strong>

**-Savvywolf**


	3. Confined

**Okay… yah not much to say today… I'm not quite sure how I feel about this chapter I find that I like writing Sakura and Kakashi more than Naruto and Sasuke. But that's the fun in writing you get to try and analyze your characters brains. So… Yes… Editing kills me but that's normal. Do know what else is normal? Not a single person on this site owning any of the original characters. This includes me.**

**(10-11-14  
>Well editing this one was a bit more rushed but it should now look more presentable.)<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Mountains hide the wolf as the night hides the thief. - Kazak proverb<em>

* * *

><p>It took a long time for Sakura to fully wake up.<p>

For a long time she lay there in a half aware state slowly letting the faint sounds of moving water and the smell of damp earth pull her in to conscience.

Her world felt fuzzy, in the sort of way that Sakura only felt when she really didn't want to get out of bed in the morning. Awareness brought the faint sound of moving water, and the more attention demanding scents of rain and ozone, campfires, and the smell of the forest durning autumn, mixed in with something that took her sleep filled mind a long time to identify as fox. Much more powerful then these smells, was the smell of dirt, wet stone, and flowers.

For a long time Sakura felt content just to lie there, half asleep not really having to worry about anything, but at the same time aware of the different things around her. But the longer she stayed only half aware, the harder it was to stay in that state.

Her waking up started with her slowly identifying where the different smells were coming from. It smelled of dirt because she was in a cave, it smelled of wet stone because last night team seven had made it into said cave soaking wet. Flashes of the night before passed through her mind each memory filled with fear, anger, loss, and confusion. Only bits and pieces of her memory were clear the rest was a blur.

Following Kakashi-sensei across the room past what seemed like hundreds of dogs,

Jumping in what she was sure was a crazy plan,

A fence standing as an impossible barrier,

Racing through the woods, the barks and howls of dozens of dogs behind them,

Saving grace in the form of a stream that would let them survive,

Pushing her muscles to the limit trying to move faster than the water, and the fear that came from knowing how slowly they really were moving,

Cold, so, so cold,

A wall covered in flowers,

Dry land,

and finally mismatched eyes that told her it was okay to sleep now, it was okay to escape from the confusion and emptiness in her head.

The confusion wasn't as heavy as it had been the night before, but the loss was still there. Inner Sakura was gone, leaving her feeling empty and broken. Sakura had always been logical however, and she supposed the disappearance made sense. She had thought over what the two men who she had seen last night had said. There were multiple seals on them and at least one of them was wiring their brains to be able to function as wolfs. Wolves didn't have multiple personalities. She doubted that her second personality was actually gone, just pushed away. Once they got back to Konoha things would go back to normal.

That would be a relief. At the moment, Sakura doubted she was even strong enough to live without her inner shadow. The Shadow represented all of her strength; it was a part of her, without it she felt lost.

Still she would manage, with the prospect of getting back to Konoha and therefore back to being human. Sakura knew she could make it. She would just follow Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun and everything would turn out all right. It always had before, and it would now.

By the time this resolution had been made, she was fully awake. Opening her eyes, she flinched back as the light hit her. The sun was shining through the vines that covered the cave entrance and reflecting across the water and into her eyes. She shifted slightly and looked around, the cave was rather large. The front part was completely submerged in water. The swirling patterns of barely there waves were just enough to show that the river was only just connected to the pool that took up a little over a third of the cave space. The sun streaming in reflected off the water and onto the ceiling and walls making the cave much brighter than it had been last night. The cave felt like a gift from heaven, absolutely perfect. She could see the safety in it. Because the cave was right on the river no dog would be able to track them. It was so well hidden, that it would be almost impossible to find if you didn't already know where it was.

Sitting up Sakura continued to looked around. To her left, Naruto was still very much asleep, and to her right, farther away, Sasuke-kun was curled up as well. There was a brief flash of panic when she didn't see Kakashi-sensei right away, but a moment latter her fears were soothed when she spotted him near the entrance sitting on a slab of rock. He was hidden slightly in the shadows making her feel slightly justified for not seeing him at first glance.

His form was relaxed as he stared out of the thin cracks in the curtain of vines. Sakura had never seen Kakashi-sensei like this. While his manner was relaxed it wasn't lazy, and it suddenly occurred to her that technically she was seeing him without his mask. The thought made her want to laugh and cry all at once.

Not knowing what to do she walked over to the edge of the pool but didn't cross the shallow water to get to the slab her teacher was sitting on. It was oddly soothing just sitting there staring at the lightly rippling water in the pool.

In that moment of shared silence, even if she wasn't next to him, Sakura could feel a sort of connection between her and her teacher. The quiet stretched between them like a bridge. She didn't cross that bridge but it was there. Sakura hadn't known that she had ever really felt separated from the rest of her team. But sitting there in silence and feeling the bridge, she realized that she had always felt at least somewhat excluded when it came to Kakashi's teachings. As far as actual teachings went, the only thing Kakashi-sensei had really taught them was tree climbing. Still, there had been mornings, before they would leave to do the D-ranks for the day, when Sasuke and Naruto would be sparing and Kakashi would compliment them and give subtle encouragement. But Sakura had never participated in any of the spars and therefore had never really been taught.

Now in the silence of the morning, Sakura could almost hear Kakashi telling her that if she wanted something, all she had to do was ask. Sure, she had never wanted to take training seriously before, what would Sasuke think of her if he found her all sweaty and gross. But after last night she couldn't help but wonder if she could have done something more than just follow if she had known how to react to the situation. But then again, Sasuke had done the same thing she had so in this situation it really didn't matter. Right?

Her mind automatically went back to their last mission. She hadn't really done anything there either but in that case Sasuke, and even Naruto, had done their best to help in the situation. Was it possible that she could have done something? Sakura found she really didn't want to think about it. Still in a way she supposed that now that the bridge was there she might find enough courage to cross it someday. Once, of course, she got her inner courage back.

* * *

><p>Sasuke had been awake since the moment Sakura had stood up.<p>

But he didn't move. If he moved he would show her that he was awake and he didn't want her to start fawning over him. He would wait until it seemed like Naruto was awake, then he would let the idiot keep her attention mostly off him. Sure she had been mostly quiet the night before, but he had seen the fear in her eyes, the weakness. He really didn't want to have to deal with an In-Need-of-Comfort-Sakura at the moment. That small quiet part of his mind whispered that it wasn't just fear in her eyes last night. It was loss and he knew loss he should ask what's wrong. Sasuke let out a light growl and made the voice be quiet. Because he didn't care what his teammates did, they wouldn't matter in the long run.

Sasuke sat in silence, surprised that Sakura hadn't immediately started talking the moment she was up. Instead the room was filled with peaceful silence. Sasuke couldn't remember the last time the silence around him had been peaceful. Silence had always been something Sasuke tried to keep to a minimum. He wasn't loud about it, but he stayed away from that complete quiet that reminded him to much of one too quiet night years ago. But now there was a quiet that was only accented by the quiet murmuring of the water, and it was truly peaceful. Opening his eyes, he could see the sunlight reflecting on the wall. There was a shadow that showed where Sakura sat in front of the pool. Sasuke laid there in the silence for a long time he didn't know when the last time he had been this relaxed was. He didn't allow himself to enjoy it but he didn't try to push it away.

Finally, when he felt like he might fall asleep again, a loud yawn was heard from the idiot's direction. Sitting up silently Sasuke watched as the tan wolf stretched out. From the shadows near the entrance Kakashi stood up and walked through the shallow edge of the pool back to the back of the cave. Sakura had jumped slightly when Naruto had started making noise, and was now glaring at the used to be blond boy.

"Wow, I'm hungry. Hey Sensei when can we get some Ramen." Naruto was loud and much too cheerful for just waking up in the morning.

"Naruto, you idiot," Sakura's voice, while scathing, seemed less… angry than usual. "We're stuck out in the woods, there isn't going to be a Ramen stand around for miles."

"Not to mention," Kakashi's voice, on the other hand, seemed to have reverted back to the lazy tone that Sasuke was used to. "That until we return to human I doubt you'll be able to eat ramen anyways."

Naruto's face was frozen in an expression of horror, Sasuke noted with exasperation hinted only slightly with amusement.

"No-No-No-NO RAMEN!" Even though Sasuke knew the outburst was coming he couldn't help but jump slightly. He immediately cursed the idiot for always forcing him to raise his expectations of Naruto's vocal range every time the dobe opened his mouth.

"Naruto," Sakura and Kakashi's voice's blended perfectly. Kakashi using the tone that he used last night. Serious and demanding attention, the only reason that Sasuke respected Kakashi at all was because of that voice. Sakura's voice was strict and full of worry. It was odd how they mixed so well. The two of them glanced at one another. Sakura didn't keep his gaze for long her head bobbed slightly as she looked away. Kakashi chuckled for a moment before he turned his eyes back on Naruto.

"Naruto, you have to be quiet. While we can speak, seeing as the river will keep our voices from traveling, if you yell then we will be caught." Sasuke snorted quietly. Naruto really did deserve the title dead last. Sasuke waited for Naruto to start complaining about the arrangement, but was mildly surprised when nothing happened. Glancing over, his surprise bumped up again as he saw what he could have sworn was seriousness pass over the boys face.

Sasuke was going to snort when he felt something furry brush the bottom of his front foot. It was Sakura's tail. It had only brushed his leg as she pulled it to the other side of her, but the action made Sasuke stop and stare at her. This entire situation was probably the most bizarre thing he had ever seen or done. Sakura was a girl, a girl who had pink hair and green eyes, and was an annoying fangirl. This animal in front of him was not her. Yes the eyes were still green, but instead of being filled with emotion and… love. They were worried and calculating. Even if the white of her fur was tinged with red occasionally, it wasn't Sakura's bright pink. And while he knew a pink wolf wouldn't have been possible, some part of him rebelled at the obvious change in his teammate.

But for the most part he was scared of the change. Because this was out of the norm and whenever his life left the norm everything would change. The first time his life had taken a break from the usual, things had been dark and dangerous and backwards and after that the norm had changed. Instead of a life with the family, that looking back, he hadn't appreciated enough. His life became a constant cycle of training and the occasional necessity of life.

The second time his life had changed had been graduation. It was in fact, an expected change. But it was a change none the less. The rest of Team Seven was _defiantly_ beyond his version of normal. Or at least they had been. After a month and a half of dealing with their different quirks Sasuke had quickly found that it was easy to work around their differences. It had taken awhile, but as time went on he found that his team was at least bearable. The reason for this, was that they were predictable. Naruto was loud and frustrating, Sakura was annoying and a diehard fan girl, and Kakashi was the always late and aloof sensei. They fit together, they were predictable, and that was the way he liked it.

But now the change had happened again… he hated it, he hated the humiliation, the uncertainty, and the overall the feeling… or maybe it was the knowledge that like every other change that had happened in his life the norm was going to change after this… and he doubted it would be for the better…

* * *

><p>Naruto was worried, no he was terrified.<p>

He hadn't had time to think about it the day before because of Team Seven's race to get away. But after last night, when his dreams had taken a turn away from the usual ramen filled happiness, to the sight of Iruka-sensei bleeding and Mizuke-sensei standing over him telling him that he was the Demon and that no one cared. Not even the bleeding Iruka-sensei. That had quickly been followed by the day on the bridge when Sasuke was dead and he was so angry and everything turned red, and Naruto had almost killed someone. The darkness and pain that had filled him was pulling him in, and a quiet voice whispered that death would be a mercy if the fox got out… And that was all that it came down to. How would his transformation into a wolf affect the seal that held the Kyuubi?

Naruto never really dealt personally with seals before. The only one he had constant contact with was the one on his stomach. Sure he had memorized it, but that didn't really help him much, especially right now. Still, as he had studied the seal throughout his life he had come to see the balance in it. The seal was formed in spiral and every part was so detailed that messing up any part of it would have huge consequences. He could feel it.

Last night had been filled with such an adrenaline rush that he hadn't had time to think about anything. Let alone the fact that this transformation was made with seals. But now that he thought about it, he could feel the panic spreading. What if by turning him into a wolf the Kyuubi seal had been unbalanced in some way? He didn't feel demonic or anything, but in his mind's eye he could just picture losing control. Becoming less wolf-like and more fox like and then the world would be covered in a red haze and he wouldn't be able to tell what was going on.

The panic that he was feeling was very real, but he had always been good at running from his emotions. He would have to tell someone, he would prefer if he could talk to Iruka or the old man but seeing as they weren't there, he would settle for Kakashi. His question about ramen was more habit than anything else, it was the norm for him and he felt that it was needed in a situation like this and he really was hungry.

Naruto frowned when the need for silence was mentioned. He could understand it, but he had always felt more comfortable when there was noise. Noise meant distraction, which weather as a ninja or the self proclaimed Konoha's best prankster, was a good thing. Still, he didn't complain about it, he knew what was important.

Naruto was abruptly brought out of his thoughts when his stomach growled rather loudly. Sasuke snorted, and Naruto felt his hackles rise Sasuke was such a jerk there were days when he wasn't too bad but most of the time he was the most annoying, stuck up person he had ever met. He was about to jump onto the black wolf, when a soft rumbling could be heard from Sasuke's own stomach.

Naruto burst into laughter, and was surprised to hear Kakashi laughing along with him. And then there was a soft, nearly silent, sound of a female snort. Naruto gasped, but he was also laughing at the same time. This turned out to be a very bad idea, as he immediately started choking. As he was trying to clear his throat, out of the corner of his eye he saw Sasuke tense as he growled. And then, with almost no warning, Sasuke jumped on him.

The sudden weight left Naruto breathless. However his instincts kicked in the moment he felt Sasuke's teeth just starting to put pressure on his shoulder. Growling he pushed Sasuke off him. Feeling the small tear the black canine had made in his shoulder made him furious. Growling low and deep in the back of his throat he jumped onto the other boy and they two of them went tumbling.

Rolling on the floor the struggle to gain the upper hand was a thrill, and it felt good to be doing something that was so familiar. It was like a breath of fresh air. In the back of Naruto's mind he could almost tell that Sasuke felt the same way about the interaction. What they were doing right then made sense. Naruto while he understood Sasuke had problems, (and maybe he wasn't that bad all the time) he also understood that the boy needed some sense beat into him. And who better to do it then Konoha's future Hokage. This was all at the forefront of his mind, yet in the back he could still feel the panic that he was not prepared to face just yet.

Naruto was blown out of his thoughts when Sasuke's hind legs came out and kicked Naruto off of him. Naruto growled and was about to jump back onto teme when Kakashi was suddenly between the two of them. Naruto gave a yelp as he tried to come to a stop, and ended up skidding into the silver wolf that was now baring his teeth and growling low in his throat.

"You two can be real idiots sometimes, can't you?" His voice was low and harsh and Naruto flinched, "I just told you that we have to be quiet, and what do you do? You start making enough noise alert anything within a hundred yards that we're here. If one of you gets hurt we won't be able to heal or help you at all. In a sense we are completely defenseless. We already have nearly a hundred dogs after us, and an unknown quantity of people, who may or may not be ninjas. The odds of us getting to Konoha without conflict are slim as is, and if either of you gets hurt those odds will lower even further." Kakashi took a deep breath, and seemed to calm down. Naruto looked away. He already knew what Kakashi-sensei was talking about, and understood the gravity of the situation… okay, so maybe he hadn't considered ninja's being involved. But considering the fact that there were seals involved in this mess the option seemed rather likely.

"I know you're hungry," Kakashi started again, "But we're going to have to wait at least a day." Naruto frowned slightly. Why did they have to wait? He could understand not leaving the cave, but if they could catch fish or something…

Sakura was looking thoughtful, her tail was twitching slightly, "That makes sense. We can't go outside right now because we could be seen, or our scent tracked. While I suppose we could try fishing, most creek fish eat bugs, and it'd be impossible to fish while we're like this. We're too big to swim without disturbing the fish and the water hole in here is too deep to just reach into."

Naruto frowned, they were going to have to eat some time. Kakashi nodded, "Yes that's one point however there's another reason. Can any of you tell me why we should wait a while longer?"

There was silence for moment before Sasuke spoke up. "The dogs are still looking for us. The longer they can't find us, the more tired and spread out they'll be."

"Good," Kakashi said voicing his approval. "We're going to wait till sunset. The dogs will be really spread out by that point, and while it means more chance for one of them to come across our trail, it also means that it's more likely that we can take care of any dog pack that finds us." Kakashi paused "Now the three of you are going to have to be patient for the next little while. The sun isn't going to go down for maybe seven or eight hours. So in the mean time just try and be patient. I don't want any fighting. However, it is very likely that we will run into some dogs tonight. I will take turns with each of you and make sure you can at least put up some resistance."

Naruto felt a part of him relax. While Kakashi hadn't done too much teaching, he was always asking them questions, trying to get them to realize their own mistakes. This was normal, even though things had changed, the basics of their team dynamic had not. The sky was still blue, the grass was still green, and (hopefully) the fox would not get out. No matter what happened, Naruto would not let anything hurt his teammates.

* * *

><p>Kakashi was not happy.<p>

His students arguing, while it was normal, wasn't what the situation needed at the moment. He had to forcibly remind himself that they were still just children. Even if they were ninja, they needed some form of comfort, and it seemed that they were going to revert back to how they usually acted in order to get that comfort. He would indulge them for now, but they would need to calm back down in time for that night. As it was he was already thinking of how to get back. They would have to be careful especially considering what he had seen that morning.

He had woken up with the sun, which is what usually happened when he was on a mission. Stretching he had made his way over to the edge of the pool and had cautiously lapped up some of the water. He could feel his shinobi senses once again pointing out how dangerous their opponent must be if he was able to completely rewire a person's human motor function without completely destroying the mind. Something was off about that, he could feel it. He had made his way across the shallow part of the cave towards a rock slab near the entrance. He sat there for a while, watching as the sky turned pink and then blue.

It was about that moment that the bushes on the other side of the river started shaking. He had immediately been alert. Out of the bushes came a group of dogs the smallest one sniffing the ground intently. Kakashi's eyes narrowed. There were twelve of them, all different shapes and colors. The largest was a brown female that was growling lightly.

"Where are they stone? We must find the wolves for our master before anyone else gets to them."

The smaller dog whirled around from where he had been sniffing the banks of the river. "You are not helping, so shut up." The dog spat out. The larger dog growled, her hackles rising. Kakashi blinked in surprise as meanings flashed though his mind. Every action the dogs made seemed to mean something. They were able to communicate without making sounds.

"Are you really challenging me?"

The smaller dog responded with growling. "Yes, you do not deserve it."

Before things got out of hand, a gray dog got between them. "Stop, we'll split up, cover more ground. Stone will lead one group, and Pine will cover the other." The two dogs were glaring at each other, but they nodded and split up.

Kakashi had watched the interaction with growing worry. They way the dogs had spoken was much more complex than any dog who wasn't a summon or an Inuzuka bread should've have been able to. The idea had been playing in his mind last night, but he hadn't really had time to think on it. But this, this was almost as good as proof. There was still a chance he was wrong. But at the moment with the fact that their previous captors had known exactly how to turn them into wolves, it made sense that they weren't the first people they had done this to. The fact that there were seals involved in this also seemed to point towards ninja involvement. All this and adding in the number of dogs that they had seen last night, it seemed like they were up against something that was much bigger then he had first thought. By the looks of it, they had been doing this for years and the fact that his team was the first to escape, meant that no one knew what exactly was going on.

Team Seven had stumbled upon an enormous undertaking that was going on right beneath Konoha's nose. They had to get back. If no one knew about what was going on, then things could escalate to a point where Konoha wouldn't know what had hit them.

He stayed at the opening to the cave for a while after that staring out at the water his mind flying through scenarios that may or may not work. It looked like the search parties were starting to spread out to cover more ground. The longer they waited the more the groups would spread out and split up. However, if they waited too long, the groups would make their way back to the base and they would be in a lot of danger. Someone would realize that their scent had disappeared along the creek and that would start a search through the water itself.

By his calculations the best time to make their dash towards Konoha would be that coming night. They would have to run straight till morning to have any hope of making it. There wasn't any way to get to Konoha without leaving a trail for the dogs to follow and with the dogs possibly being ninjas it would be even more dangerous. The moment one of the dogs found their trail it would be a race. Even if they ran the whole way it would take all night to get to Konoha but once they made it there they would be safe. The thought had made him relax slightly.

A soft shuffling sound had made him glance over to see Sakura sitting up. She looked much more collected then she had the night before. He faced the river again and waited to see what she would do. He knew that he had neglected Sakura even more then the two boys. Knowing that she wasn't ready to learn. She wasn't ready to even be a shinobi in the first place. When she had mastered the tree climbing on her first try, he had been incredibly surprised. It had taken him three tries to master the exercise. The only people in Konoha to beat this record had been Itachi Uchiha and the Slug Sannin herself with two tries each.

Watching Sakura make it up the tree like she had been doing it her whole life had been astounding. He had stayed up later that night then usual thinking about whether or not he should put the information into his report. The sounds of Sakura fawning over Sasuke in the kitchen had convinced him not to. The moment that the village found out about her already perfect control it would mean intense training in medical jutsu and genjutsu so as to not let the talent go, and if she wasn't going to search for that herself then she wasn't ready to have it thrust on her. Ninja broke when that happened. It was a Jonin sensei's responsibility to find skills that the academy had missed and make sure that the student sought after those skills by themselves. When they were forced into something they never really mastered the skill and when the time came to use it people died.

The silence had stretched between them and Kakashi felt like she was finally starting to understand his reasoning. What had happened last night had shaken her, and maybe if she was smart she would let herself become ready.

And now here he was, trying to comfort a bunch of twelve year olds, when it was very possible that they weren't going to be okay. To be perfectly honest he was incredibly annoyed. Even if they were twelve, they were still ninja, they needed to grow up at some point. And yet there was a voice that sounded remarkably like his sensei, that just laughed and told him that they were just kids.

After he managed to calm down a bit, he couldn't help but worry himself. There were so many things that could go wrong. The fact that he had no access at all to his chakra, made him worried. And the most panicking was the thought of what the seals on him had done to the Sharingan. He could tell it wasn't activated. For the first time in thirteen years, there wasn't a drain on his chakra. The thought of losing Obito's gift sent a wave of numbness through him. But he didn't let it show, his students needed him now. Something about that thought tugged at him and made his emotional whirlpool worse. There was a mixture of panic at the thought of losing his last real connection to his (could have been) best friend, and the idea of failing this messed up backwards reflection of what almost was.

He couldn't fail them now.

* * *

><p><strong>Yah, kind of a filler… But the next chapter will be better. More action, After all we have to get to Konoha eventually. (Evil Grin)<strong>

**-Savvywolf**


	4. Caught

**Hey... Would you look at that, I managed an update. So I really do have to apologize and I will at the end, but for now just know that if you just clicked on the link from your email telling you that I updated and are staring in shock, then I am right there with you. **

**Also pointing out specific mistakes will cause me to go back and change them. Telling me that I need to just do better in general will not change anything. Sorry 'bout that.**

* * *

><p><em>If you are afraid of wolves, don't go into the forest. - Russian Proverb<em>

* * *

><p>Sakura ran, the forest blurring past her as she tried her best to keep up with Kakashi-sensei.<p>

The night was cool and everything felt alive, making her feel both nervous and invigorated. Even though there was danger in the situation Sakura couldn't help but be grateful to be out of the cave.

After Kakashi-sensei had told them that they would be leaving once it had gotten dark Sakura had realized how long it was going to take for night to come. It had still been early morning at the time and Naruto had not been able to stop fidgeting. It wasn't his normal hyperactive moving about either, there had been nervousness practically radiating off of the tan wolf. To be honest it had put Sakura on edge. She may not have liked him very much but she knew how the blond baka acted and even when facing down Zabuza she had never seen the boy nervous. Naruto didn't do nervous, he did confident or oblivious. Finally after Naruto had started pacing Kakashi-sensei had asked him what was wrong. Naruto's answer hadn't really made much sense, but Kakashi-sensei's eyes had widened when Naruto had asked whether seals were able to hold up even against other seals. She had never seen Kakashi-sensei so serious when he had asked Naruto if he could feel his Chakra at all. Even Sasuke-kun had stopped studying the wall and paid attention. Naruto had said no and Kakashi had relaxed but Sakura still couldn't figure out what the big deal was.

She had been about to try and ask what was going on when Kakashi-sensei had declared that the fact that there was a high chance of them running into a group of dogs meant that he would try and train them to work with the wolf bodies they were trapped in. That had gotten Sasuke-kun's attention, training always did, and he had come to sit closer to them. Which at the time had really distracted her. Sasuke-kun did make an intimidating wolf, with his black fur that mimicked his raven locks that she had spent so much time thinking about, and lean muscles that Sakura had found herself staring at. Next to Kakashi-sensei he might have looked a little small, but she could tell that he would be just as strong someday. Sakura's admiration of her crush hadn't been quiet as enjoyable as usual but she hadn't been able to put all of her concentration into it as usual either. Inner Sakura hadn't been there to help her after all, but the rest of her attention had admittedly been on Kakashi-sensei and Naruto. As the day had dragged on interspaced by bouts of Kakashi-sensei trying to get them able to defend themselves, Sakura had finally started to calm down a bit and as she had the surrealness of the situation had started to get to her.

She had never seen a wolf before. Dog's were very common in the village both the nin-dogs of the Inazuka and normal pets, and so she had plenty of experience with those. But wolves were something of a fairytale from her childhood, there had been a sort of mysticism about them, they were the bad guys in stories that Sakura's mother used to read to her at night. She knew that they existed, but some part of her had some what equated wolves with unicorns, something that didn't quiet exist. So in that moment sitting in a cave watching her team, knowing logically that they were the teammates, but seeing something almost mythical for her, she had to admit in that moment that they were beautiful.

The way they moved was just graceful, padding nearly silently across the cave, even when Kakashi-sensei had them very carefully sparring against him… no it was especially then, the power that Kakashi-sensei had in particular really made her pause. Sakura had grown up in a ninja village she knew what grace looked like but for some reason it was sitting in that cave looking at a teacher that she had known for a good month that she found herself really impressed by it.

And then it had been her turn to face Kakashi-sensei and her temporary peace had come crashing down when she had glanced towards her crush and realized that she couldn't even keep Sasuke-kun's attention while trying to knock sensei down. Her doubts had come pounding in after that. Forcing her to look past the beauty and realize that no matter how dangerous they looked, they were actually powerless.

If they ran into a group of dogs they might stand a chance… if they ran into humans there would be no escape.

It was terrifying to realize how vulnerable they were right now, even Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei were trapped in such a way that if it came down to it, they would be able to do very little against any sort of ninja. Just a few days ago Kakashi sensei had taken down an A rank missing-nin and now he probably wouldn't even be able to save them from a gennin with good aim. She knew that she really shouldn't have been thinking about her sensei like that but it was the truth and absently she wondered if the boys had realized that they could die at any moment.

She was driven out of her thoughts by a faint grunt from Kakashi-sensei as he was forced to jump over a branch from a bush that was just in front of them. Sakura only had a moment to realize that said branch was posed just about where her head was before she decided to duck under it. While they had been human if such an obstacle was around sensei would give a warning but at the speed they were going it would have done no good. Sakura ducked but immediately knew that Sasuke who was right behind her wouldn't have time to do anything about the branch. She couldn't even turn around though as Sasuke plowed right into it pulling the branch along with him until it snapped back and hit Naruto in the face. Sakura winced as she heard Naruto give a cry of alarm and pain as the sound of the branch flipping back into its original spot. She skidded to a halt as Kakashi turned around and looked at them. The light of the moon briefly reflected against his eyes accenting the look of frustration on his face and Sakura shrunk back just a little. She watched just a little apprehensive as Kakashi brushed past her and Sasuke-kun and picked Naruto up by his scruff and back up onto his legs.

"We have to keep moving." Kakashi-sensei said, "I know we've been going for several hours, but we still have a ways to go. Sasuke be more careful next time."

A faint "Hai, Sensei." Could be heard from both of the boys and despite the tiredness that seemed to completely encompass her Sakura's paws itched to keep moving. The forest seemed too quiet while they were standing still. And the shadows and hiding places that she hadn't noticed while running really were driving in the fact that they wouldn't be able to see anything coming until it was too late.

They started off again but this time Sakura couldn't even relax enough to let her thoughts wander. There was something wrong she was absolutely sure of it. Apparently Kakashi-sensei was too because he suddenly veered to the side and in just a few feet suddenly they were standing in a clearing. Kakashi-sensei spun around.

"Get behind me," He snarled and Sakura followed quickly her hackles raised in fear.

Nothing happened for several long moments, then out of the forest stepped a large Doberman. It cocked its head to the side before baring its teeth.

"Got you."

* * *

><p>Sasuke stood ready, as he analyzed the situation.<p>

Behind the obvious leader came three more dogs of varying sizes. While the leader was the largest, a golden retriever with wild eyes and a lolling tongue was a pretty close second. Standing the farthest away from the group of canines Sasuke couldn't help but notice how fast the golden dog was vibrating, practically bouncing, barely staying still. In contrast the dog just to the right of the leader was a medium sized terrier that seemed almost board but his eyes deftly caught the unatural way the dog's claws seemed to sink into the ground. Finally the smallest was a black pug whose eyes seemed to be just as focused as Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the pug when it got around to scanning him. There was intelligence in those eyes. There was intelligence in all of their eyes. Kakashi-sensei had told them his theory about the place they had been at their experimentation, but this all but confirmed it. He let a small smirk grace his face… good. It would make things interesting. He still wanted to test his capacities and if they had just been normal dogs he wouldn't have been able to so.

He had been itching for a fight ever since he had woken up from his 'almost death' on the bridge. Thinking back after the fight had made him wary. He had been willing to die in that moment. Willing to give up his revenge… He had been ready to claim that the decision had just been the heat of the moment. But the longer he thought about the moment he had seen that the senbon were no longer just aimed for superficial spots and the absolute panic at the thought of someone else dying in front of him. In that moment he couldn't have stopped himself from jumping in if he had tried. In that moment he had been forced to admit that Naruto… meant something to him. He had pushed that thought away as far as he could as soon as they were away from the land of waves trying to convince himself that it had been a fluke. He had forcibly started to push his team away from him again. It had been working too.

Everything was going normally… until he had gone to sleep and woken up as a wolf in a cage.

There hadn't been much time to think about his apparent… 'bonds' that some deep part of him was carefully watching over, but spending all day in the cave waiting for not an actually fight but a flee scenario had given him nothing to do but think. Sasuke had been torn. Naruto at least was proving to be a competent rival, Kakashi-sensei had the sharingan, something that he hadn't been sure how to respond to first but now that he had activated his own could at least see the benefits of having someone with practical experience to teach him. Sakura was still a fan girl but she was at least knowledgeable, he hated to admit it, but it had been nice, going from being forced to interact with an entire hoard of fan girls, to only having to work with just one. They were his team and he admitted to himself that it could have been worse.

But it was team seven as a whole that was starting to worry him.

He didn't have time to get attached, he had to kill that man. He had to grow strong in his hate. For the last four years everything he had worked on had been based around getting strong enough, and through those four years he hadn't needed anyone. He was an Uchiha he had a great legacy behind him… but in front of him was only the team he had been forced to take. The conflicting ideas of what that man, had told him and the teachings of teamwork, mixed with Naruto's loud laughter and Sakura's smiling exasperation, had been impossible to work through so he had decided not to work through it. Just to let it be. There was nothing he could do to get off of team seven so it was would be useless for him to try.

Sitting in the cave for the whole day however seemed to bring everything he had thought he had pushed down back up. He had frozen when they had run into the fence while still trapped, if he had been on his own he wouldn't have gotten away. It was only because Kakashi and Naruto had forced him to keep moving that he had. That grated on his pride but it also brought up the question of strength again. He was the strongest gennin on team seven but circumstances showed that it didn't always mean he could act by himself. Watching the wolves that used to be his team and realizing that there was a sort of relief that he wasn't in this messed up situation by himself had further conflicted him.

There was one way he dealt with conflict in his life. And that was taking out his frustration in battle.

"Be careful," Kakashi's voice was low barely carrying over the three of them. "It looks like we'll be one on one. I've got the leader but I can't how they are going to attack. If you manage to beat your opponent quickly then help your teammates. Beat them one by one if possible."

Kakashi looked like he was about to say more but the dogs didn't give them any more time to plan.

"Get them." The Doberman growled as he threw himself across the clearing and into Kakashi, the two largest canines rolled across the ground of the field, growling coming in loud bursts. Sasuke turned to the next largest intent on attacking when he was bowled over by a weight to the side.

He rolled to the side and managed to slip away from his attacker only to find the smallest pug getting up from where it had landed. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he quickly sized up his opponent, it was tiny, he would just have to finish it off quickly if he wanted a good fight.

The pug took one look at Sasuke's narrowed eyes and let out a low chuckle. "Underestimating me are you?" the voice was male and had an age about it that Sasuke was surprised by. "Well than you're pathetic. I have only been beaten by a handful of others you are no match for me."

Sasuke didn't even bother answering he pounced on the smaller dog and barely missed, his claws brushing against the other dogs coat. The pug wasted no time and slammed into Sasuke's side this time teeth biting into his flesh. Sasuke growled and threw himself side ways catching the dog off guard as he tried to crush him against the ground. Unfortunately the pug was stronger then in looked and Sasuke could feel it's hind legs strain as it added to the force of Sasuke's fall and forced him off. Sasuke got up quickly and spun to face his opponent only to freeze.

It was impossible. There was no way. He was the only one left.

Everything slowed down. Sasuke could feel the blood pumping frantically through his veins, the ground beneath his feet, and yet none of it seemed real. He couldn't think, he couldn't move, his entire world had focused on the eyes of the black dog.

Eyes that shone with the blood red of the sharingan.

* * *

><p>Naruto didn't even have time to react before he was thrown across the clearing.<p>

He bounced once before hitting the ground and finally skidding to a stop against one of the far trees. He tried to stand up as fast as he could but everything in his vision swam as he tried not to fall back down. His attempt was futile however as wild eyes and a lolling tongue suddenly filled his vision.

"I'm going to rip you to shreds, okay? Kay? Kay? Kay?" She bounced around him with every syllable and Naruto's eyes widened.

"What!" He shouted as his dizziness finally started to fade. Pushing off the ground he tried to pounce onto the golden dog only to have her practically flash away.

"Oh, too bad, so sad, you're dead." She giggled before zooming back to hit him again. Naruto was a little more prepared this time and managed to land on his feet. He tried to stand completely still, the last hit had thrown him slightly into the forest he could still just see the inside of the clearing. Kakashi-sensei was still rolling around trying to get the first dog off of him. Naruto actually took another step towards the clearing when he saw the terrier slowly stalking Sakura's shaking form.

A flash of gold stopped him "Oh good puppy, landing on your feet," She cooed suddenly right up in his face again. "You are a puppy aren't you? Poor little puppy all out in the woods alone with the big bad wolves."

Naruto didn't even let her finish her sentence. He head-butted her cutting off the increasingly creepy endearments. Not letting himself think, he hit her across the face causing the retriever to yelp. Before he could follow up she flashed away. Naruto growled, he had to get back and help Sakura-chan, and no way this crazy dog was going to stand in his way.

"Bad dog!" She screamed at him.

"I'm not a dog! I'm a ninja! And you had better believe it!"

Keeping his attention on his wild eyed opponent. Naruto frantically glanced around. She may have been crazy but she was fast. She liked to get in close though, so he would hit her when ever she tried to hit him. It wasn't much of a plan but he liked improvising anyways and it wasn't like there was much time to plan at the moment.

"NO! You're a puppy, and puppies are good dogs, who die when they're told!" He was expecting the flash of movement this time but he hadn't expected her claws to sink into his side. Crying out, Naruto was only just able to twist around, the dog's sharp teeth barely missing his throat. Thrashing for all he was worth, Naruto tried to get the upper hand of what had suddenly become a wrestling match, but his opponent was larger and obviously more experienced. It didn't take long for him to find himself pinned.

Leaning down close to his face she started growling into his ear. "Puppy is a bad dog, you ran away from the masters, we are a pack of powerful ninja dogs… you could have been powerful too, little puppy. Powerful, and happy, we are pack. Pack is the most important. Masters want you back or dead. Center wants you dead, I want you back, you will be my puppy, and you will live until I tell you to die. Because you are a good puppy and you will die when you are told."

"Like hell I will!" Using his hind legs, Naruto kicked out her front legs from his shoulders, twisting his head around, and acting on instinct, he bit into her right leg. She screamed at him and tried jerking away, but Naruto didn't let go even as she put on another burst of speed trying to dislodge him. Flashing into trees Naruto was getting hit repeatedly as she tried to get him to slam off. But if Naruto was one thing it was stubborn. Finally slowing down, Naruto tasting blood in his mouth, forced his gag reflex away, got a better grip, and snapped his jaws shut just as she tried to bat him across the head. There was a loud snap followed by a crazed scream. Naruto let go immediately and jumped away, blood dripping across his vision from where her claws had scratched into his head just above his eyes. Shuddering, Naruto backed away from the now trembling dog, the feel of bone snapping in his mouth made him want to gag and Naruto couldn't bring himself to attack again with that feeling still making him shudder.

"Bad wolf." The words echoed quietly causing Naruto to take another couple of steps back until he felt a tree at his back. All of the flashing and running had taken them far from the clearing and the silence of the forest seemed to absorb all sound after the screaming had stopped. "Wolves don't make good pets, wolves don't make good puppies, wolf is going to DIE NOW!" She had steadily been getting louder and everything seemed to slow down.

Gathering as much strength as he could into his hind legs Naruto started to dive to the side desperate to get out of the way.

She flashed forward.

Naruto could feel the wind of her attack as it brushed right past his fur… and slammed face first into the tree he had been standing against.

There was a loud thump, then silence. Standing to the side the only sound was the blood pumping in his ears. He'd done it… He'd won.

* * *

><p>Kakashi snarled as he rolled across the clearing.<p>

Panic was coursing through his veins making everything sharp and fast. This wasn't supposed to happen. His hope had been that they would run into a group with less than four and be able to out number and out match them through teamwork. Their opponents had acted too quickly though and now they were separated fighting battles that they weren't ready for.

His thoughts were forced back to the fight as the dog tried to switch directions in trying to get on top. He countered and was suddenly very grateful that he had gotten this far with out dying. The dog he was currently fighting was obviously the alpha of this particular pack and if Kakashi hadn't been summoning dogs for nearly his whole life he wouldn't have been able to fight back for as long as he had. Years of working with his own pack of dogs had let him see how canines fought and used their hierarchy to their advantage. This animal was the leader and for a good reason, it was obviously the strongest fighter and Kakashi while knowing how most animals fought, was not used to fighting that way himself. And the worst part was that if he was having problems then he was sure that his students were having an even harder time of it.

Despite the fact that Kakashi was holding his own he was tiring quickly this fight was forcing his mind to work over time, in order to keep moving the wolf body to the best of his abilities he had to keep reminding himself about how his limbs were currently proportioned. Whatever seal had rewired his brain functions seemed to work best when he wasn't thinking about it. But Kakashi was a jonin and the moment he went into battle every little detail became important making him hyper aware of the differences. If he continued just wrestling his mind would start to make mistakes and things would fall apart from there.

Apparently falling apart was going to happen sooner then he thought it would. The Doberman's teeth were suddenly in his shoulder and Kakashi barely bit back his cry of shock, his limbs going limp as he tried to react with arms instead of legs. Unable to get his own body to react in time the Doberman got a good grip and threw him against the nearest tree.

The air left Kakashi's lungs in a whoosh. He landed on the ground with a thud and the clearing spun briefly. Kakashi got to his feet just to see the dog staring at him..

"You have failed as an alpha." The voice was a deep bass and Kakashi pulled back in surprise. "An alpha protects the pack, you couldn't even protect yourself." Kakashi felt his ears flatten against his head. That hit far closer to home then he wanted to admit. He had failed his pack… many times. It wasn't necessarily this 'pack' that his mind immediately went to but the guilt was always the same. Obito, Rin, Sensei, He had never really recovered from losing his first team. Now he was well on his way to losing his second. With that thought he quickly let his eyes scan the clearing. Naruto wasn't there anymore, but Kakashi could vaguely see gold and tan fur getting further and further from the clearing. Sakura was backing slowly towards the trees as her opponent stalked her. Suddenly, Sakura turned and bolted Kakashi twitched towards her knowing that he would never make it. With a laughing growl the terrier followed her into the woods. Sasuke at least seemed to be doing fine. But even as he thought that the black wolf suddenly froze and Kakashi did move forward when he saw the smallest dog pounce and throw his student across the clearing. Before he could even get three steps in the direction the Doberman slammed into him. Claws scrapping Kakashi's sluggishly bleeding shoulder.

"Failure," Kakashi was slammed back into the ground.

"Failure," Struggling to get away Kakashi was barely able to wriggle out of the other canine's grasp.

"Failure," Kakashi was a trained Jonin one of the strongest there was. He had been dealing with emotions that he didn't want to deal with for years. He could clamp down on all but the strongest of feelings. But ever since he had woken up in that stupid cage he could feel his emotions just a little too close to the surface. And with the third repetition something snapped.

He stopped thinking. The pain in his shoulder was pushed aside in favor of absolute anger, the likes which he hadn't felt since the night after Rin died by his own hand. He snarled, the sound echoed through his mind awakening instincts, and forcing his mind to fit with his body in a snap of fury.

He was not going to lose, his team was not going to die, and he was not going to let this half rate, almost ninja dog say that cursed word again.

* * *

><p><strong>So Life is a beautiful crazy thing, and it's busy and hectic and that means I can't always update when I'd like to. I just started up school again and after some health issues in the last year there is really just other things I need to focus on. Still, this story has a special place in my heart (can't you tell by my account name?) and it will be finished someday. <strong>

**There's my apology... you really don't have to pay attention to the rest of this. **

**Manga has changed a lot of things about my perception of certain characters since I started this story, the biggest being is that I now believe that Sasuke has hit the point of no return. I'm sure he will return in the next five weeks, but after the stuff he's pulled and now his ridiculous change in goal, I think he has officially gone past Pluto in the case of sanity. This being said I am still very fond of traumatized-but-still-not-'I've-completely-lost-it' Sasuke and this story will continue to reflect the idea that he could have been better. This does not mean I condone anything he has ever done in shippuden. **

**The fact that Kishi is still sidelining Sakura drives me nuts. He had better realize that Sakura is worth more than a get-out-of-the-men's-way-Genjutsu or there is going to be problems. This being said I am a firm believer in Sakura's capacity and that will also still be reflected in this story. Also the new(ish) information about Sakura's parents... Honestly it makes absolutely NO SENSE WHATSOEVER FOR SAKURA'S PARENTS TO HAVE BEEN NINJA! There were no indicators for this at all so for the story she's civilian born... Like she always has been. **

**Naruto is still my baby, I adore him to pieces, though his obsession with Sasuke has gone way too far. Honestly I always knew Naruto would end up like this so my opinion on him hasn't changed much. **

**Okay rant over. I doubt you got anything from that but I needed to vent somewhere. **

**Anyways I don't know when I'll update again but I do have the next part outlined pretty well so it might be sooner than you think... And I promise it won't be three years again. Really.**

**-Savvywolf**


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